Diego Schwartzman is an Argentine tennis player and is best known as a clay court specialist. The former world number eight has had to grapple with hard times on the court recently. His ranking has also seen a steep decline as a result of it. He was last seen having a conversation with the hero of Argentina, Lionel Messi, at an Inter Miami match.
Diego does intend to return to the big stage again, as stated in his interview with Clay Tennis. He even compared his situation with the likes of Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem, and Stan Wawrinka.
“Look at Murray, Thiem, or Wawrinka. They are Grand Slam champions, they were among the best in the world, then they went on to play in Challengers. Just like many who have been up there,” stated Diego.
“I don’t think it’s a question of humility, but just wanting to catch the rhythm, wanting to come back. Everyone assembles their own calendars. I will always try to play in the tournaments I like the most, and always give priority to ATP and big tournaments,” he said.
Schwartzman has not had a good year so far and has struggled to find his form. The last big tournament that he played was Wimbledon. The Argentine crashed out in the second round itself. Jannik Sinner defeated him 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.
Diego Schwartzman’s steep fall
Diego Schwartzman acknowledges that he is not the same player he was at the start of the year. The Argentine started the season ranked 25th in the world. As the string of losses grew longer, he swiftly lost his spot.
He reached his career-best ranking of 8 in October 2020. But Schwartzman could not hold on to that spot for too long. It was frustrating for him. This failure to win matches after several successful seasons meant, he did not know how to handle it.
Schwartzman has 17 losses under his belt and a measly 9 wins. His abysmal performances on the court meant he dropped out of the top 100 rankings for the first time in nine years. He is currently ranked 97th in the world.
Diego says that his aim was to hold on in order to make it to the US Open, and he did. “The goal of these months in Europe was to make sure I got into the US Open and I did it. I faced the pressure of being forced to win in order not to go far behind, and I was able to do it,” said Diego.
At present, he wants to continue playing. He knows that when the time comes he will hang up his racket forever. That day is still far for the Argentine though, and he can still turn the tide in his favor. Schwartzman still has a lot to offer to tennis.